Indonesia teems with lone-wolf terrorists and is struggling to contain them

A man wearing a Darth Vader costume holds a placard as he stands on Thamrin street near the scene of a gun and bomb attack in Jakarta in January this year. Reuters

Indonesia is a hotbed for militant Islam and has been the target of domestic militant groups inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) since early this year.

Worrying is the trend of more lone-wolf terrorists striking random targets in the name of Isis, said its police chief Tito Karnavian.

In a report by Singaporean daily The Straits Times, he said while the “old network” of terrorist groups remains the larger threat, “lone wolf” cases are on the rise.

“They are being recruited through social media and trained online, including being taught how to make bombs… and then they go on their missions alone,” he added, while not disclosing details on the lone-wolf cases.

At least three such incidents took place in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. One of them was last Thursday when a jobless 21-year-old man attacked two officers with knives and pipe bombs at a police post in Tangerang, about an hour’s drive from Jakarta.

A police officer shot the suspect who died on the way to hospital. Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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